Railway-switch stand and signal



(No Model.)

M. WUERPEL.

RAILWAY SWITCH STAND AND SIGNAL.

No. 432,106. Patented July 15, 1890.

* .EIMIIHMIEE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS VVUERPEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SWITCH STAND AND SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,106, dated. July 15, 1890.

Application filed April 10, 1889. Serial No. 306,666. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

ie it known that I, MORRIS IVUERPEL, of the city of St. Louis,in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway -Switch Stands and Signals, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This is a device by which one or more signals are moved in the act of unlocking the lever by which the switch is operated.

Figure I is a side elevation. Fig. II is an enlarged section at II II, Fig. I, looking downward and showing parts below the section plane. Fig. III is a vertical section at III III, Fig. II. Fig. IV is a horizontal section at IV IV, Fig. I, looking downward.

1 is the base of the stand, and 2 2 the uprights, upon which is supported the horizontal table 3.

4 is the crank-shaft, having at the lower end a crank-arm 5, to whose wrist-pin 6 the switch is connected in the usual or in any suitable manner. The shaft 1 turns in a bearing at the table and in bearings7 and 8. (See Figs. I and IV.)

9 is a horizontal arm rigidly attached to the shaft and extending radially therefrom and forming part of a lever by which the shaft is turned to throw the switch. The other portion 10 of the lever is hinged at 11 to the end of the arm, so that it may be moved from a horizontal to a vertical position.

12 is a handle 011 the part 10. \V hen the part 10 is in a vertical position, as seen in Figs. I and II, it engagesin a notch 13 of thetable, so as to firmly lock the shaft 4. and prevent the rotation of the shaft and movement of the switch. \Vhen the part 10 is in horizontal position, it may be used to turn the shaft at and throw the switch.

No novelty is claimed in the parts above specially described.

14 is a cog sector or quadrant fast upon the handle part 10 of the lever, and whose periphery is concentric with the hinge 11.

15 is a cog-rack with which the sector engages, so that the depression of the part 10 will cause the elevation of the cog-rack, and vice versa. The cog-rack works through the table, and its movement causes the movement of the signal, as will be explained hereinafter.

16 is a signal-staff, which I prefer to make tubular for combined strength and lightness. The staff is fixed at the lower end in the table.

17 is alantern having a round glass face or lens.

18 is a signal plate or semaphore connected to the shaft by a pivot 19 between its ends. One end 20 has two round orifices occupied by plates or frames 21 and 22, of colored glass,

. one of which may be red and the other green,

or any other colors preferred, to indicate, respectively, danger and safety, the upper one 21 indicating danger, and beingpreferably red, while the other may properlybe green, as this color is used for that purpose. It will be seen that when the signal-plate is in a horizontal position the light shows through the red pane 21 and indicates danger.

23 is a blade, which may be painted of any color to render it prominent, and which by its position indicates either danger or safety.

24 is a rod connecting the pivoted plate 18 to one arm of a lever 25, fulcrumed at 26 to the staff 16 or other fixed point. This lever is slot-ted at 27 to receive a pin or stud 28 upon the rack-bar 15. The weight of the rackbar 15 is sufficient to keep the signal in a position indicating danger when the said bar is not thrown up by the action of the quadrant 14:.

Supposing two signals are used on one stand, as shown, it will be understood that when the part 10 of the hand-lever is in a horizontal position both signals are at danger, and that they remain in this position until the switch is closed in one position or the other and the part 1.0 turned down into one of the notches 13. The turning down'of the lever by means of the quadrant 14 throws up the rack with which it is engaged, and the signal 18, in connection with such rack, will then indicate safety, theother signal remainin g in position indicative of danger. Thus it will be seen that danger will always be indi cated except for a track on which the switch is fully closed, for the part 10 of the hand-lever must enter one of the notches 13 before the. signal reaches the position indicating safety. WVhere there are two signals, as shown, upon one stand, the part 10 of the le- Ver carries two of the quadrants 14one upon each side of the arm 9so that when the arm is in contact with the side of the rack-bar 15 .the quadrant upon that side is in engagement with the rack-bar.

An invention somewhat similar to this is also shown and described in my application, Serial No. 311,375, filed May 20, 1889.

I claim herein as my invention 1. The combination, with the signal having a cog rack-bar connected thereto, of a le- Ver consisting of the two parts 9 10, hinged together, and a quadrant carried by the part 10, engaging said cog rack-bar, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a switch-stand,

of the two signals connected to the rack-bars 15, and the jointed lever consisting of the arm 9, attached to the shaft 4, and the handle part 10, carrying the quadrants 14, adapted to engage the rack-bars 15, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a switch-stand, of two signals pivoted upon staffs 16, erected 011 the stand, the lever 9 10, connected to the switch-shaft 4, quadrants 14 on the part 10, the rack-bars 15, adapted to be engaged by the quadrants, levers 25, and connecting-rods 24, all constructed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

MORRIS VVUERPEL.

WVitnesses:

SAML. KNIGHT, THOMAS KNIGHT. 

